how many tear old junior ponders a quotes from John Wooden, the legendary UCLA coach?”
In honor of John Wooden’s 99th birthday, here are 99 things you may, or may not, know about the legendary former UCLA basketball coach: 1. He was born in Martinsville, Ind., on Oct. 14, 1910. 2. Wooden led Martinsville High to the Indiana state title in 1927 and runner-up finishes in 1926 and 1928. 3. As a boy, one of his role models was Fuzzy Vandivier of the Franklin Wonder Five, a basketball team that dominated Indiana high school basketball from 1919 to 1922. 4. He was a three-time high school all-state selection. 5. Wooden met his future wife, Nell Riley, at a carnival in July 1926. 6. They married in a small ceremony in Indianapolis in August 1932. Afterward, they attended a Mills Brothers concert to celebrate. 7. Wooden and Nell were married 53 years before Nell’s death in 1985. 8. After high school, Wooden enrolled at Purdue, where he won varsity letters in basketball and baseball his freshman year and earned All-American honors as a guard on the basketball team in 1930-32. 9.
A Web site has been established where birthday wishes can be sent to former UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden, who turns 99 Wednesday. Happybirthdayjohnwooden.com was established in connection with Wednesday’s release of “A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring with John Wooden,” co-written by Wooden and Don Yaeger. Wooden plans to spend his birthday with his family, according to UCLA sports information director Marc Dellins. Born Oct. 14, 1910, in Hall, Ind., Wooden coached UCLA to an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships in his final 12 seasons, including a record seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964 to 1974, both records. The record Wooden said he is the most proud of is his team’s 19 conference championships.
